The family of a British sailor missing in Dubai have issued a plea for information on his whereabouts.

Leading seaman Timothy Andrew Maccoll, 27, known as Timmy, was a member of the crew of HMS Westminster, which arrived in Dubai on Saturday and left on Thursday, his family said.

They said the married father of two, whose wife is expecting their third child, was last seen by a shipmate getting into a taxi alone at around 2am on Sunday.

He was said to have just left the Rock Bottom Bar at the Regent hotel in the area of Deira, around a 15-minute drive from Port Rashid, where HMS Westminster was docked.

The Royal Navy confirmed a member of HMS Westminster's crew was missing in Dubai and said the navy was working with local authorities and Foreign Office representatives in the United Arab Emirates to find him.

Leading seaman Maccoll, from Gosport in Hampshire, and originally from Killin, in Scotland, has two children aged six and four, his family said.

His wife, Rachael, said: "We are appealing to the people of Dubai and reaching out to the large expat community to help us find Timmy and raise awareness in that area.

"We are desperately worried. Checks have been made with hospitals, prisons, police stations, medical stations and mortuaries and there is no record of him and no sightings so far.

"I last spoke with Timmy at midday on Saturday and he was in really good spirits and looking forward to speaking with the children on Skype on Sunday. That call never happened.

"It is completely out of character for him not to contact us and we are completely at a loss and going crazy with worry.

"Wherever Timmy is, I know that he wants to be found, he will want us to find him, we need people to help us do that. He may be in trouble somewhere, he could be trapped as far as we know, we have absolutely no idea.

"Please, please help us find him."

A Royal Navy spokesman said: "We have one sailor who is currently unaccounted for in Dubai. Everything is being done to ensure that he is located safely.

"The individual's next of kin has been informed and is being provided with support from the Royal Navy."

Maccoll' is described as white, 5ft 8ins tall, of medium build, with short brown hair cropped with a flicked fringe. He speaks with a broad Scottish accent and was wearing a red Moto GP T-shirt, dark-coloured long shorts, and white trainers.